Schwinger named Hodag wrestling’s most valuable

Senior Logan Schwinger took home a couple of the biggest honors from the Rhinelander High School wrestling team awards banquet on Sunday, and coach Scottie Arneson said the awards went hand in hand. 

Schwinger was voted the Hodags’ most valuable wrestler as well as the team’s most dedicated wrestler. The honors were handed out as the team held its year-end banquet at the Crescent Town Hall.

Schwinger became the first Hodag boy to punch a ticket to the WIAA state tournament since Gavin Ostermann in 2022. Though Schwinger dropped both of his matches at state, he finished the year with a 41-15 record as was the Great Northern Conference runner-up at 175 pounds. 

That’s a far cry from where Schwinger was as a freshman when he won only eight matches — a few of which came via the forfeit. Schwinger received one other award from the team, the “Guts Club” Award for attending every practice. Not only was Schwinger Rhinelander’s only recipient of that award this year, coach Scottie Arneson noted he never missed a practice in this entire four-year RHS career. 

“It does take a lot of dedication to see the growth, but we’ve said it and Logan is a great example of sticking it through and being dedicated to the sport of wrestling,” Arneson said. “Qualifying for the state tournament, I think that just speaks what can happen if they do put in the time in the offseason, if they do show up to every single practice. Logan in four years never missed a single practice in high school, which is obviously one of the reasons that he’s getting some of the awards that he’s going to be getting today.”

The Hodags handed out several other awards on Sunday. Senior Reid Schultz won the team’s Hodag Award. Ivan Loka and Anthony Boldt were the most improved wrestlers on the boys’ side while Cassidy Lindner took home most improved honors on the girls’ side. Trevor Denton was voted the team’s rookie of the year. 

Schultz posted some of the best numbers on the season for the Hodags, going 35-8 and winning the Great Northern Conference title at 285 pounds. His road to state was cut short with a pair of upset losses at sectionals, however Arneson credited Schultz’s ability to be a good teammate, to recruit kids at the school to give wrestling a try and improving the morale in the wrestling room with his demeanor. 

“I think it does mean a lot to the community and our school to have an award going to somebody who exemplifies being a good role model for the community and the sport of wrestling,” Arneson said. 

While all three girls who wrestled for the Hodags this winter earned letters, Lindner was the only of the trio to earn a special honor from the team. New to the sport as a sophomore, Lindner learned quickly, posted a record of 24-14 and finished one win away from qualifying for the WIAA state tournament. 

“This individual went from never stepping foot on a map to be coming a top 25 wrestler in the state,” Hodag girls’ coach Caleb Radtke said. “Her goal shifted from the beginning of the season, which was hoping to win one match on the entire season to almost qualifying for the state tournament.”

Boldt, who earned all-GNC honors at 144 pounds this winter, went 16-17 overall on the year and was recognized at the class leader for the Hodags crop of juniors. Loka was 14-15 on the season and finished fourth at conference. He and fellow sophomore Gage Anderson were named that class’s future leaders. 

Denton went 9-26 for the Hodags as a freshman. 

    Rhinelander High School wrestling award winners pose for a photograph following the team’s banquet at the Crescent Town Hall Sunday, March 23. Pictured, from left to right, are Cassidy Lindner, Anthony Boldt, Ivan Loka, Trevor Denton, Logan Schwinger and Reid Schultz. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Hodags finished fourth in the Great Northern Conference this season and posted dual meet wins over Lakeland and Medford along the way. 

“We had one conference champion this year, four sectional qualifiers and Logan being a state qualifier this year. I think that that’s a big improvement from where we were just two years ago,” Arneson said. 

On the girls’ side, while the team had only three wrestlers, they placed in the top half of the majority of the tournaments they entered due to placing well with the individuals they had. Both Lindner and junior Mya Swanson finished with winning records and were sectional qualifiers for the squad this season. 

“I think we had a lot of fun wrestling this year, but I fell short of growing the girls’ team,” Radtke said, reflection upon the team’s preseason goals. “It would be a lot more fun if we had a full team of girls where we could be dueling other girls’ teams around the state. Very optimistic about next season and I look forward to seeing you all back next year.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].